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[Press Release] Dublin, Wednesday, 19 May 2004

Dermot Ahern T.D., Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and his Northern counterpart, Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Barry Gardiner, met today to discuss all-island energy and cross-border telecommunications.

Following the successful all-island Energy Forum in March this year, a strategic framework is being prepared to identify further action by the two Governments, regulatory authorities and industry, in working towards the goal of an all-island energy market.

Minister Ahern said: “It is now time to bring together the measures needed to create a single energy market on this island. The two Energy Regulators and Transmission System Operators are essential to this process [and they must engage / in which all key parties must be involved] fully so that the objective of an all-island energy market can be achieved.”

Barry Gardiner said: “I fully support the ongoing efforts to develop a single energy market with the clear objective to achieve real benefits for consumers, North and South. Enhanced cooperation, joint planning and integrated energy systems are key to this. This involves securing the engagement and commitment of all the key stakeholders in the energy arena. We must also focus on those priorities which will create an attractive environment for investment, competition and innovation.”

Both Ministers agreed that there is scope for further co-operation in exploiting renewable energy. Work to determine a possible all-island biomass strategy by the autumn will be pursued. Significant long-term benefits are also expected from energy efficiency and combined heat and power generation for business and domestic customers.

Barry Gardiner and Dermot Ahern also discussed the cost of cross-border mobile and data telecommunications. Both Ministers remain concerned about the continuing high costs of cross-border data and mobile tariffs, which act as a barrier to all-island business and are an irritation to consumers. They welcomed the recent decision by the Telecommunication Regulators to work with the markets to find a common approach to solving these problems.

ENDS.

Notes to Editors

Ministers Barry Gardiner MP and Dermot Ahern TD met in Dublin on 19 May to consider progress against six areas where action is needed to develop an all-island energy market, set in the context of the EU internal energy market, i.e.

· Cross-border trading in electricity

· Electricity system interaction and integration

· All-island gas network

· Co-ordination of regulatory activities;

· Climate change, emissions and renewable energy

· Energy efficiency policies

Both Ministers reviewed and welcomed the further progress which had been made by the joint steering group and at the Drogheda Energy Forum across the six priority areas for the development of the all-island energy market.

A Joint Steering Group was established in July 2003 by Ian Pearson and Dermot Ahern to oversee progress across those six areas. It reports to Ministers through regular bilateral review meetings. Biomass e.g. willow coppicing, organic wastes, can be used to produce electricity. Work is underway north and south of the border to determine the economic viability of biomass generation and further consideration will then be given to the development of an all-island biomass policy. In March 2004 Dermot Ahern issued a Policy Directive to the Republic’s Regulator COMREG to reduce cross border mobile phone charges. The Directive also sought investigation into mobile phone ‘roaming’ and cross border leased line charges. Earlier this month COMREG met with their UK counterpart (OFCOM) to seek a common approach on the matter. For further information, please contact DETI Press Office Tel 90529353.

For further media information, please contact:

Richard Moore Press Advisor Office: +353 1 678 2440 Mobile: 087- 241 4751
Tom Mc Loughlin Press Officer Office +353 1 678 2441Mobile: 087-9370780

Tel: +353-1-6782446 Fax: +353-1-6782739 E-Mail: press.office@dcmnr.gov.ie

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